Is This Enough ||MxM || Lgbtq+

Chapter 10

Leonardo's P.O.V

The smell hit me first.

Warm, buttery, rich. Something between pancakes and nostalgia. I hadn't even opened my eyes yet, but my stomach was already paying attention. I forced myself upright, running a hand through my hair. The ache in my shoulders hadn't eased from yesterday.

When the door creaked open, Vinnie stepped in with a tray stacked higher than should be legal. Pancakes, bacon, fruit, syrup. Enough to feed three people or one man in denial.

"Morning," he said, all brightness. "Didn't know what you liked, so... I made a bit of everything."

He was wearing grey sweatpants and a black shirt that clung to him like it had a grudge. Even his jewelry caught the light like it was trying to flirt. He set the tray down on the coffee table and leaned against the wall, arms crossed, casual as hell.

God, I wished I was that wall.

I cleared my throat and nodded at the tray. "You made all that?"

He shrugged. "Didn't take long."

I scanned the tray. Only one plate. "Where's yours?"

"I already ate." He waved it off, like it wasn't a big deal. "Don't worry."

That didn't sit right with me. None of this did. But I lifted a piece of bacon anyway and studied it like it might offer answers. Crispy, glistening, cooked to damn perfection.

"This is..." I shook my head. "You cook like this for everyone?"

He smiled. Not smug, not proud. Just... soft. "Only the ones I like."

He locked eyes with me. And just like that, the room got smaller.

"You're welcome to stay as long as you want," he added, voice low.

My stomach twisted. Not from hunger. From something far more dangerous.
I broke the gaze, rubbing the back of my neck. "Look, I appreciate that. Really. But I'm just here till this lockdown crap ends. Then I'm gone."

His eyes dropped. Barely. Just enough to notice if you were watching for it and I was. He covered it up fast, that little flinch, with a shrug and a too-casual check of his phone.

"Got something going on?" I asked, needing to kill the tension before it drowned me.

He straightened. "Meeting a buddy. Won't be back for a while."

His voice was flat. Too flat.

Something was off. He was already halfway out the door. Not just physically. Emotionally too.

I nodded, tried to play it cool. "Okay. See you later."

Vinnie turned to leave, then spun back suddenly. "Oh, almost forgot. Water's working again."

Then he was gone. I stared at the tray. At the bacon. At the empty space he left behind. My appetite vanished.

What was I even doing here?

My job was a joke. Ambassador Coordinator? Please. I was a glorified hitman pretending to be a diplomat. I chased shadows for a living and now I was chasing feelings.

I sighed and headed for a shower. Being a Black man in this world still meant knowing when to shut up, when to disappear, when to pretend. And I'd been pretending for years.

Before I could spiral further, Ice-cold needles slammed into my chest like a punishment. I staggered back, gasping.

"Oh my God," I choked out. "Nope. Nope. Nope."